Grace Nono, OPO, BMG Pilipinas, 1995
Opo LP Showcases songs of amazing Grace Nono (LINK)

by Poch Concepcion
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12 October 1996

The time is ripe. The seeds are bearing fruit. Women artists in the macho mall music scene are flexing their collective talents with growing confidence.
Here at home, the name that's been catching critical attention, aside from Bayang Barrios and Cooky Chua, is Grace Nono.
Only last week, the exotic-looking singer-songwriter took home a record-setting six trophies for the outstanding quality and content of her 1995 album, Opo, courtesy of this year's Katha Music Awards.
Nono never had it so good. For the past 10 years, she has spent time struggling to give meaning to her peripatetic life as a musician. Finally, the long, hard nights of playing in clubs, in between writing songs, have been rewarded.

Musical odyssey

People familiar with Nono's music odyssey have reason to rejoice. They first perceived her as a good female rock singer with a lot of promise-in 1987, when Nono was known as the hat-wearing lead vocalist of the Baguio City-based band, The Blank.
Not long after, The Blank would establish a cult following in Manila as the resident band of the newly-built Music Museum. With Kuh Ledesma as manager, The Blank seemed poised to fill a void in the local rock circuit.

But the band broke up, splintering its members to join other bands, and leaving Nono to start anew.
Band manager Dodong Viray heard her singing Joni Mitchell tunes at Mayric's, and helped get her a recording deal.

Tao Music, Nono's debut album released by BMG Records Pilipinas, left much to be desired sales-wise, and also pigeonholed her image as a female Joey Ayala, in reference to her ethnic-inspired songs.
But it was a good album, with international-caliber songs both in English and Filipino. And even if it didn't go multi-platinum, the album eventually helped Nono reach the masses. By word of mouth, advertising executives heard about her. One thing led to another, until IBC 13 featured Nono singing and performing its theme soundtrack, "Pinoy ang Dating", on nationwide TV.
The award-winning Opo is the follow-up to Tao Music. For the second time, Nono collaborates with her musical soulmate, the respected guitarist-arranger Bob Aves. It also employs an all-star cast of guest musicians like Jun Lopito, Bobby Taylo, Cesar Aguas, Tateng Katindig, Niño Regalado, Mel Villena, and members of Nono's club band, Gerry Duran, Danny Buenaventura, Nards Reyes and Diokno Pasilan. In one track, Boy Camara sings back-up.

Several factors contribute to the global greatness of Opo. First, it successfully fuses indigenous instruments with digital technology. This is very much a result of the Nono-Aves experiments in world music, a remarkable feat which BMG should exploit by releasing the album abroad.
Second, the manner in which Nono presents social issues is never boring. Themes like poverty, ancestral rights and ecology come off as intriguing subjects that pleasantly mix with the other songs that talk of love and affection. Yet the message is not lost in the medium.

Third is the wonderful use of native Filipino dialects. There is something beautiful in Nono's interpretation of tribal chants, Visayan verses and T'boli melodies, an aural quality which can be attributed to her rich vocal range.

As a whole, Opo elicits respect for an artist who has paid her dues!

TAO MUSIC ORDERING INFORMATION

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